...understand what might be the cause that I feel very tired and lack a lot of energy when I have changed my diet from "normal" to the next day eating only alot of vegs and fruits?
I have done this sometimes, and have not lasted long being a vegetarian, simply because it makes me feel very uncomfortable spiritually.
If I have a diet that contains normal food, I feel strong, fit and confident, but if I suddenly stop eating that, red meat, chicken, bread, etc, well,
then during the whole day I feel very dizzy and my blood sugar is very low.
I think it's so sad :(
I really enjoy eating only fruit and vegs, and so I wonder if anyone can help me understand why this happens to me, or if it's something I have to change gradually, and maybe this would pass after a few weeks since my body needs time to adjust and maybe it is like a cleaning proccess??
For instance, when i work out for over one hour every day, I feel that eating only vegetarian food would make me feel "bad" and not contempt if you know what I mean..., I really need fish or eggs or bread after working out, so I can "regain my system".
Also, every time I have started eating only veg food, I have had difficulties sleeping.
Is that normal?
It feels like I don't get that deep sleep.
I remember one time I ate an apple before going to bed, and i couldn't sleep the whole night, so I wonder what it is I can do.
If I eat a huge meal at McDonalds for instance, all full with shake and cheeseburgers, then I'd sleep so deep and almost be in a coma for 10 hours.
Anyone know why?

Maybe your iron is low?

Also, do you take a multivitamin?

do you make sure that you eat all the right foods? maybe you need to look more into that before you make the switch. i also read somewhere that certain blood types need alot more protien and would have a hard time going vegetatian. a gradual change would probably be best if you are having a hard time with it. you just have to make sure that you are eating foods to replace the meat.

If I eat a huge meal at McDonalds for instance, all full with shake and cheeseburgers, then I'd sleep so deep and almost be in a coma for 10 hours.
Anyone know why?

This is easy to explain: Shakes and cheeseburgers are full of sugar and carbohydrates which spike your glucose level and then cause you to crash.

Yeah, the iron, I dont know, but I have to check it out, is that done by taking a bloodtest right?
Multivit, I have heard some doctors say its no use taking them.
And then some others say the opposite, so its not easy to know what to take of vitamins and if they have a very good effect on your body, compared to natural fruit and vegs.
But when being vegetarian, does that mean that most people dont eat fish either? Fish is very very healthy though, and personally I dont understand why some people would not eat it since it's very healthy and to fish a fish in the ocean is very much different from killing and slaughter an animal I think.
To make sure if I eat all the right food,
well, I dont really know what is the right food though for me.
But the food I do eat when cutting out meat, is full of vitamins and etc, so I just think it's so difficult to understand why it would make me feel so bad :(
Maybe I am one of those who need lots of protein, yeah,
I experience this always when I eat red meat. I feel so energetic, its amazing. I ask myself if that can really be the case, the meat.
But so I think that is a bad thing.
But when it comes to health issues, such as Ive heard that if you eat red meat every day you increase the risk of cancer with 40% or something, so does that mean for all?
What about the people who feel "good" with that food,
But then again, I used to think I felt good when eating a lot of sugar, and now, after I have changed my diet to no sugar at all, I feel alot better, and have a stable mood for instance, never have I experienced to feel very high and low like I did before when i ate a lot of sugar.
But I hear so many people saying that they feel great and full of energy when being vegetarians, so I wonder why I dont, and experience sleeping problems and concentration problems.
And if that is the case with most people who change their diet like that.
I mean, some people don't eat much in general.
Some people need alot of food during the day, to function normal, while other people I know, like my one girlfriend, she usually never eats anything before she finishes work at 5pm.
So I guess we are all different.
But feeling the way I do,
maybe I should go to the doctor and take a bloodtest to find out about iron.

:)

Amy SF.

"This is easy to explain: Shakes and cheeseburgers are full of sugar and carbohydrates which spike your glucose level and then cause you to crash."

Yes :(
I guess thats why.
But this used to be something I'd prefer doing when not thinking about weight, all because it made me calm in a way and made me sleep very good.
I really wanna start eating only vegetarian again because I believe it is the most healthy thing for body and spirit in the long run no matter what, so I just wish I could get some answers to do it the right way for myself.

But when being vegetarian, does that mean that most people dont eat fish either? Fish is very very healthy though, and personally I dont understand why some people would not eat it since it's very healthy and to fish a fish in the ocean is very much different from killing and slaughter an animal I think.



You're correct, vegetarians don't eat fish (well, some do, but then they're not vegetarians)
Vegetarians who stop eating meat for ethical reasons don't eat fish because they're animals as well (they have a central nervous system and are capable of pain). There are many varieties of fish that are farmed, they're not all living wild in the ocean. Fish farms are pretty nasty and gross, I haven't done a lot of reading on them, but others on this forum can direct you to more information. Since I never liked fish anyway, giving it up wasn't a big deal to me.

Health vegetarians may forego the fish as well because even fish caught wild from the ocean have extremely high levels of mercury and other toxins. In fact, due the problems of polluted waters, no fish anywhere can be labeled "organic" (at least from what I've read), so it's not as healthy as you might think.

After reading your first post, I suspect that you may not be eating a very balanced vegetarian diet, which is why your energy level may be down. You said you ate lots of fruits and veggies but did you include proteins and carbohydrates? Nuts? Whole grains? anything like that? If all I ate was fruit and veggies, I'd have very little energy too.
Could you list out a typical day of eating on the days when you have no energy?
Definately talk to your doctor about your iron levels, but do some research into vegetarian nutrition on your own. Also, take a look at www.fitday.com and track your food for a couple of weeks to see if you're missing important nutrients.

Adding some grains to your diet might help out - oatmeal or cereal with soy milk in the morning, a whole wheat sandwich or wrap for lunch? Eating just veggies and fruit isn't very filling at all!

i also read somewhere that certain blood types need alot more protien and would have a hard time going vegetatian.
That's a load of hogwash. The difference between blood types is sugar. Blood cells are covered in suagrs which the body uses to identify whether a cell belongs or not. Different blood stypes have different sugars.

Fish is very very healthy though, and personally I dont understand why some people would not eat it since it's very healthy and to fish a fish in the ocean is very much different from killing and slaughter an animal I think.
While it is true that fish contain beneficial fats, they also contain heavy metals and nasty chemicals. The more fish you eat, the more contaminated fish you will eat, and the more nasty things will end up in your body. Also, affordable fish tends to be farmed, which is every bit as not nice as any other kind of factory farming.

I think your problem is you're neglecting grains, legumes (beans), and nuts. Going vegetarian doesn't mean the only thing you eat is fruit and veggies.

That's a load of hogwash. The difference between blood types is sugar. Blood cells are covered in suagrs which the body uses to identify whether a cell belongs or not. Different blood stypes have different sugars.

hahaha, that is good to know. i was wondering if there was any truth to it.

Blood type differences are a true concept. I know because 6 months ago I read the blood type book and didn't think too much of it, now three months since being vegan my systems demonstrating some proprties that are explained within the book. I'm unsure about other blood types but I have learned that mostly O and some B blood types do function more efficiently on protiens, although they do not necisarily have to come from meat. I have found that most people that do well with protien may also be allergic to wheat and/or gluten. To up your protien intake try legumes. Just know that many others are affected by this too...

Originally Posted by Hummusisyummus
"That's a load of hogwash. The difference between blood types is sugar. Blood cells are covered in suagrs which the body uses to identify whether a cell belongs or not. Different blood stypes have different sugars."

The difference of blood cells goes all the way down to the molecular level. The fact that programmed blood cells do identify which other cells, chemicals and nutrients do belong or not is the exact reason why the point stands and the reason why there are such things as allergies and intolerances as well as certain nutritional deficiencies. Types Ao-Bo-O-AB Type O is the only one that cannot accept a different type blood transfusion having a 99% chance of death due to attacking of the intrusive cells. Such is the same with things like wheat gluten and allergic compounds, they are attacked causing a reaction. As some cells are sensitive to certain things other cells also need more of a substance to perform optimally, such as protien.

Blood type differences are a true concept. I know because 6 months ago I read the blood type book and didn't think too much of it, now three months since being vegan my systems demonstrating some proprties that are explained within the book. I'm unsure about other blood types but I have learned that mostly O and some B blood types do function more efficiently on protiens, although they do not necisarily have to come from meat. I have found that most people that do well with protien may also be allergic to wheat and/or gluten. To up your protien intake try legumes. Just know that many others are affected by this too...
Did the book bother to give a logical mechanism for how different sugar phenotypes would cause different dietary protein needs? Why isn't it mentioned in mainstream science?

But when being vegetarian, does that mean that most people dont eat fish either? Fish is very very healthy though, and personally I dont understand why some people would not eat it since it's very healthy and to fish a fish in the ocean is very much different from killing and slaughter an animal I think.

Hello, well while I don't know so much about nutrition that I can safely advise you with your problems (I know there are heaps of others here that can and go you guys) I can direct you to www.fishinghurts.com
Visit that site and tell us if you still don't understand why some people don't eat fish :D

Are you only eating fruits and vegetables? I would be tired all the time too if I only ate fruit and veggies.:sleep:

Vegetarians eat much more than that. They eat bread, pasta and other grains. They also eat beans, nuts and tofu. Some vegetarians eat eggs and/or dairy products.

You should consider adding the following to your vegetarian diet:

Whole grains (at least 3 servings per day)
Beans, nuts or tofu (at least 2-3 servings per day)
Fats/oils (eat nuts or avocadoes, sauté your veggies in olive oil, etc)
Dairy (2-3 servings per day if you eat dairy)
Eggs (don’t eat more than a few of these a week if you have high cholesterol)

PETA has a vegetarian starter kit that can help you with nutritional issues and transitioning to vegetarianism:

http://www.vegetarianstarterkit.com/index.asp

You might also visit your local library or bookstore for books on vegetarianism.

There's no reason you can't be a vegetarian, as long as you're getting plenty of nutritious food. :up:

Awhile back before I had all the information I have now, I was eating turkey, chicken and/or 8 to 10 cans of tuna with mayo on wheat bread a day, probably for about a year. I noticed I was getting very sleepy right afterwards, besides the trytophan, msg, but during the day and the times I was not eating it I had tons of energy, enough to exercise constantly and lift weights after working long hours. All this time I wasn't thinking about my blood type nor was I aware of the differences. I now know that my metabolic type, was meant to utilize protiens better as some may only find that they get no energy from it but do gain weight. I was also having problems with my sinuses, attitude and a strong desire not to eat fruits or vegetables. I also ate lots of corn chips. I then quit drinking diet sodas and started avoiding additives and preservatives. Eventually I gave up meat, I soon realized that my body had been poisoned. I now have learned how to read my bodies signals and that I need more protien from other sources. Its important that you to learn your signals. Know all the effects of the foods you eat and if it varies from day to day. Know what poisins you and what helps you. Always be aware of how you feel when you wake up and compare that to what you ate and your demeener the day before. Attitude has alot to do with health also, not just food. My point is that it is certain blood types "do" have a harder time dealing without enough protien and that others get brought down by too many fruits/sugars not just because of blood sugar levels but because of their blood type, so it may be difficult for some to be vegan but you must get the toxins out first to really see whats really happening. Even coming from someone who used to eat pounds of meat protien a day, I can safely say going Vegan was one of the best things I have ever done, although for now I do have bouts of tiredness also, alot to do with detoxing, that will soon be overcame. So my words are .. don't give up .. Anyone thats having problems with tiredness/lethargy due to diet may benefit from a more mentally aware approach...good luck

Well, I don't know so much about all those dishes that vegetarians eat, and so on, what is a grain?
I eat also bread and pasta, this fiber bread I eat lots of, but the thing is, what to put on your bread, and add to your rice or spaghetti, to make you feel full and gain more energy.
I think that eating it without meat, it makes me and my body feel not satisfied in a way.
Ofcourse it's probably because I have to adjust myself to it.
But I don't feel full, and in 2 hours I am very very hungry again :)

About fish, I have heard some about that it's so much toxic things in it and all that, but is that really the case with most fish though?
I don't understand how that can be legal :(
But since I personally really truly believe that humans are meant to eat fish, since it's so very healthy for the mind and preventing lots of other diseases,
I guess I can never become a full vegetarian though hehe.
But what if I didn't eat that one fish from the ocean, some other fish would :)
Thanks for the info here.
I will check it out and read more about all those dishes and what they contain and what the body needs.

A good starting example to help you out here would be some black beans and brown rice wrapped up in a tortilla with salsa. (A simplified version of my typical lunch.)

Mashed garbanzo beans with mayonaise and sweet pickles on rye is another suggestion.

Hummus with anything is good.

If you're tired you may not be getting the legumes and grains you need.

Or if you didn't eat that one fish, that fish might live, swim and not go through a painful death.

There is alot of things you might have to try and adjust if you want to be a vegetarian. It takes time. Do you like beans? You could have beans in tomato sauce on rice. Or pasta with tomato sauce and sauteed veggies. Or make a vegetarian chili....do you like veggie burgers? tofu? stirfries? pasta with vegan margerine and garlic? what about toast and peanut butter? Veggie sandwiches or wraps? Soups? Homemade thick cut french fries with olive oil and herbs?

The list goes on and on. Don't limit yourself, you have to explore different food options to see what works for you. If you feel you need more protein, get some soy protein powder, mix it with soy milk, rice milk or milk (do you eat dairy?) and add fruit. So yummy, filling and you get protein, vitamins and minerals. Or eat more beans for protein.

Try new veggies, fruits, rice, pastas, sauces etc. I had to eat soy products alot at first to feel "full". I still eat veggie burgers sometimes, and tofu weekly, but my body adjusted, so will yours.

Good Luck and I hope you try and stick with it! :)

Hi Anita,
Ive been posting about a similar problem, and I think that for me the only way is to hope to do things gradually in the long term. It took me years to learn to like wholefoods and it might be the same with this. But taking time over it can make things stick better in the end. I probably have this dilemma a bit worse than most because I'm recovering from a load of meds and alot of the time I don't have the energy to even think about this but it is a long term goal for me and I hope to keep posting up how its going. If you were brought up on meat it might take you longer to work out because the body is used to getting nutrients another way. Also I think I should congratulate myself for what I've achieved so far because it's a sustainaility move. If I wasn't given a load of chemicals and e numbers in the first place then my system wouldn't be so confused and slow to change now. As long as I'm being honest, I wouldn't say I was vegetarian while eating fish. That's 'semi-vegetarian' I think its called. So I would say that well done for looking into it hope you have fun looking at how you want to change , lolol

:juggle: :sunny: :guitar: :juggle: :sunny: :guitar:

You probably do need more protein. but you dont need it from meat. Make a lentil stew, throw red kidney beans and tofu into your salad, make a tempeh salad sandwich for lunch, throw TVP and veggies into your pasta sauce for more veggies, make a sandwich like froggythefrog said, try a tofu dog or veggie burger. Try being vegetarian first before you go vegan. You can have cottage cheese which is high in protein, and eggs. Eating a diet similar to your meat-eating diet, minus the meat, just means you are getting too little protein. You need to find it somewhere. Good luck!

Hi There-
I've read through all your posts and honestly, it sounds like you don't know very much about basic nutrition and/or healthy eating habits at all.

My advice is to see your doctor and get in touch with a nutrtionist who can work with you and give you a transition diet and hopefully teach some nutrition basics.

In the mean time, why don't you try transitioning to veg slowly? Your post makes it sound like you just shut off all meat oneday and then start eating nothing but raw veggies th next.

8-10 cans of tuna a day! Goodness gracious. I would be worried about mercury!

"and to fish a fish in the ocean is very much different from killing and slaughter an animal I think."

Not really, they use vast nets and haul in all sorts of fish and marine life, very disruptive to the ocean.